


Choose Your Own Adventure: The Startling Souffle

by sagansjagger



Series: CYOA: Life Is What You Bake It [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Accidental Drug Use, Angst, Bad Ending, Crack, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Identity Reveal, Kissing, Sad Ending, Sad and Happy, Sad and Sweet, character death as one ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:09:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 17,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagansjagger/pseuds/sagansjagger
Summary: Adrien and Marinette are cooking up a souffle, but they're going to need your help. Join them as they battle cracky bread machines, deal with temperamental ovens, and indulge in kisses.You will be able to choose where the story goes. Each ending will link back both to the last choice and to the start.Happy adventuring!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Series: CYOA: Life Is What You Bake It [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872607
Comments: 242
Kudos: 50





	1. Start

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Missnoodles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missnoodles/gifts), [Rikkapikasnikka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkapikasnikka/gifts), [Frisian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frisian/gifts).



> Welcome to the Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction version of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel! The kids just want to cook a souffle, but they just can’t quite seem to get it done without various bumps along the way. You will be able to choose where the story goes. Each ending will link back both to the last choice and to the start. 
> 
> Please don’t read the fic all the way straight through. I mean, you can, but you probably won’t get a lot of enjoyment out of it reading it that way. 
> 
> And please, please read all the tags before beginning. Not all of the endings are fluffy, and I want you to be prepared for everything that happens as a reader.
> 
> Have fun!
> 
> -Cass
> 
> P.S. A special apology to my subscribers, who received 31 emails this morning!

“Well, you see, it’s not as easy as going, ‘yay, souffle.’ There are flavor profiles and separating eggs and you have to make sure everything blends together well and that it doesn’t fall in the oven or burn, and...” Marinette said, her nerves translating into a ramble as she tied her apron on in her parent’s kitchen, staring at her feet.

Adrien wished she would look at him. After baking with her for multiple learning sessions over the course of the summer and fall, he knew that baking was her purview. Over the course of the day, she’d grow more comfortable with him, as she eased into mixing and measuring ingredients. He liked the more confident side of her. But she always started out shy.

A few months ago, after her fifteenth birthday, Adrien had shocked her by telling her he couldn’t even make toast without burning the bread. Marinette’s mouth had run away with her, and she’d promised to teach him to bake.

Adrien had somehow finagled his father into letting him take lessons from a baker’s daughter. Marinette suspected that was because Adrien had taken some of the results from their experiments home to Nathalie, who had approved of the starchy treats, gladly cheating on her diet.

Adrien was a fast learner. Marinette had taught him the differences between flours, sugars, and salted and unsalted butter; how to bake and frost a layer cake; and how to make chocolate croissants. The latter baking project had been a challenge for Adrien. They'd had to make several batches due to mistakes made, but the croissants turned out beautifully in the end, perfectly flaky and buttery and sweet.

And now, Marinette thought he was ready for the next step in their baking relationship. So they were going to bake a souffle.

“So souffles can be all kinds of different flavors?” Adrien said, tying on his own apron. “Like… Like chocolate? Or strawberry? Can you even do that? I thought you could only make a souffle with… eggs. And whatever else goes into them.”

Marinette placed her hair net on her head, tucking her blue-black hair under the mesh fabric, and handed Adrien his. “Oh, they can taste like almost anything. There’s sweet ones or savory ones, all sorts of different flavors.”

Adrien tucked his floofy hair underneath the hair net. “Savory, too?” he says, smiling shyly at her.

Ever since they’d started baking, Marinette had stopped stuttering around him. As they’d grown more comfortable working together, he’d started realizing little things about her. Like how tiny her hands were. Or how comforting her smile was. Or how pretty her hair was, even under a hair net. She was his good friend, Marinette. But secretly, he’d started hoping for something more.

“Were you hoping for anything in particular?” Marinette said, tilting her head at him.

Adrien shrugged. “Whatever you like will be fine.”

“Adrien,” Marinette said, popping her hands on her hips and staring him down. A thrill sent shivers down Adrien’s spine. He knew she was about to make him pick, and he loved that about her. She told him what to do while still allowing him freedom to choose, and the combination was heady. “We’re making this souffle for you. You need to pick which one you want.”

Adrien beamed at her. Now that she’d given him explicit permission, he was glad to make a selection. “Well, chocolate would be good. And lemon, too, I suppose,” he said, tapping his chin. “But what kinds of savory ones are there? Cheese? Please tell me there’s cheese. I have a friend who would never forgive me if I had the option to make a cheese souffle and I didn’t.”

Marinette washed her hands, grinning at him as he waited his turn for the sink. “Or something like pumpkin--that can go either way,” she said, scrubbing the webbing between her fingers. “And there’s the more exotic one. I saw a recipe with citrus and ginger the other day that looked awesome.”

Adrien gasped, holding his hand over his heart. “Pumpkin! That’s fantastic.”

Marinette stepped back from the sink, and dried her hands. Adrien stepped forward and scrubbed his own with soap and warm water. Marinette continued the explanation. “Honestly, I don’t think there’s a wrong answer as to which flavor we choose, as long as it’s a flavor that can come across without adding so much of that ingredient that it messes up the base.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Adrien said, taking the towel from Marinette to dry his hands. “A souffle is basically a bechamel base--which is butter, flour, and milk--with four egg yolks added, folded into seven beaten egg whites with a pinch of salt and a pinch cream of tartar?” He tilted his head and set the towel aside. “Is there a difference between sweet and savory souffles?”

He did not expect Marinette to squint at him. “First, you make that sound way too easy. Second, um, the difference is… taste?” she said, shrugging. “They’re pretty much the same thing, but the difference is in how the whole thing tastes. You know, adding pumpkin and salt instead of grapefruit and sugar.”

**Options:**

[Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008)?

-or-

[Savory](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919433)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	2. Sweet

"No, no, I mean… is there any difference aside from the things we add to make it sweet?" Adrien tried to explain. He could cook some things but talking about the process isn't his forte.

Restless, he started gathering measuring cups and mixing bowls. "Do we need to add sugar to the base? That sort of thing."

"Well, sure, if we do something that isn't naturally sweet, like... well, lemons. Just adding lemons wouldn't go well. Actually I did that last week," Marinette admitted ruefully, scrubbing the back of her neck. She washed her hands again. "That actually tastes _really_ bad, don't do that."

Adrien smiled a little. Marinette was so cute. "Then maybe we'll have to try a lemon souffle," he says, and heads to the fridge to collect a gallon of milk and seven eggs. "But we should make the base first. Right?"

"You don't have to fix my mistakes. I've made good lemon souffles, too. If you tried to fix all of my goofed attempts you'd be here for the rest of time." Marinette snorted, sorting out the bowls in order of when they'd be used.

"Well, we have plenty of time today," Adrien said cheerfully. "So I could sure try."

He fetched the butter and returned to count out the eggs. "So, which flavor would you like?”

Marinette sighed. “Do you really want me to choose?”

“I do,” Adrien said, closing the egg carton. “Please?”

“I can’t force you to choose, so I guess I will,” Marinette said, pursing her lips. “So of course I’ll pick…”

**Options:**

[Chocolate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918143)?

-or-

[Lemon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918998)?

-or-

[Grapefruit-Ginger?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919250)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	3. Sweet > Chocolate

"You know, it's only fitting you learn chocolate first--after all, last time I schooled you on chocolate croissants." Marinette smirked at him, snagging the bag of chips out of the pantry. For their most recent batch of croissants, they'd had a friendly competition on who could make the best ones.

"And I burned the heck out of my mouth trying to prove to you that I'd baked it correctly," Adrien said, and shuddered. He was glad she already seemed comfortable around him again. The time between her being shy and her being confident had shrunken more and more over the fall. "I remember."

He carried the butter over to a cabinet near the stove. Then he opened the cabinet door to retrieve a saucepan, which he placed on a burner. "I melt three tablespoons of this with three tablespoons of flour, right?"

"Yup. Slowly, you want to make it very smooth," Marinette said, pulling a tall, dining room chair over to the kitchen and perching upon it. "Clumpy sauce means pockets of raw flour in your finished souffle, which... yeah, I've done that too."

"Oh, goodness," Adrien said, turning the burner on and chopping three tablespoons off the stick of butter for the pan. "I bet that messes with the texture horribly. Would you mind bringing me the milk, please?"

The boy started melting butter and adding flour to it. It's a Very Serious task, and he has a Very Serious face to go with it.

Marinette stood from her chair. She retrieved the gallon of milk from the fridge. Seeing his Very Serious face, she poked him in the waist in passing, measuring out the milk for him.

"You do know baking is supposed to be fun, right?" she said, her tone gently teasing. “People do this for fun. And relaxation. And... not giving themselves an ulcer."

"I know baking is supposed to be fun," he said, concentrating very hard on making his bechamel base smooth. "I just... don't want to mess it up."

He did take the milk, though, his fingers lingering on hers a little longer than necessary when receiving a measuring cup. "Thanks, Marinette."

Her cheeks glowed red, and she cleared her throat. "You're welcome, Adrien." Marinette beamed at him and reached for the salt. Her hand encountered only counter, and she blinked.

“What’s wrong?” Adrien said, tilting his head at her.

“Didn’t we get the salt out already?” Marinette said, her brow slightly furrowed.

“Weird, I thought we had,” Adrien said, stirring the milk into the batter.

“Oh, well.” With a shrug, she headed towards the pantry. She rifled through the shelves, where the salt failed to be where the salt has been kept every other time she’s baked something. “Dang, Adrien, we might not be able to do this. We seem to be out of salt, which I didn’t even know we could be out of salt.”

“Marinette?” he said, glancing over his shoulder towards the pantry. “How can we be out of salt? That makes absolutely no sense. Salt is a hot commodity in a bakery, apparently?”

“Yes, I know, but the salt is not where it should be, and I’m not seeing it anywhere else, so… I don’t know what to say, there’s no salt,” Marinette said from the pantry, sounding annoyed.

Adrien stopped mixing the bechamel. He’s a musician, and he knows tones, especially hers. “We can find the salt, no problem,” the boy said, and turned the heat down just in case he needed to head over there.

**Options:**

[Have Adrien find the salt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918278)?

-or-

[Have Marinette find the salt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918335)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	4. Sweet > Chocolate > Adrien Finds the Salt

Standing by the pantry, Marinette stomped her foot. “I seriously can’t find the salt anywhere!”

Adrien crossed over to her. He peered into the pantry for a few moments. “Ah,” he said, picking up a blue container with a girl in yellow holding an umbrella printed on the label. “I found it! It’s right here. Crisis averted.”

Marinette pouted at him. After a moment, she grabs the cream of tartar before it can wander off. “Maybe you should live here instead.”

“I would love that,” Adrien said, entirely seriously. He crossed back to the stove and turned the heat back on.

Marinette’s pout became a beam. “Are all your ingredients blended yet?”

The boy shrugged. “I think so,” he said, stirring the bechamel. “I turned the heat off momentarily, but that shouldn’t affect the end result. Should it?”

“I… don’t think it will?” Marinette said as she set to work separating eggs. “Probably not.”

Adrien nodded, and scraped the sides of the pot with his rubber spatula. “When do we add the chocolate? Do we need a double boiler to melt it?”

"Nope,” Marinette said, leaning on the counter next to him. “Here, take a bit more of this butter and melt it in a smaller saucepan. A little butter fixes everything, and I don’t have the patience necessary for a double boiler.”

Adrien did as instructed, finding a smaller saucepan in the cabinet. "And this is for the chocolate chips?"

"Yup,” Marinette said, grinning. “We're just going to get them right to melting, and the bit of butter will smooth them out faster, and then we just dump the whole thing straight into the bechamel. Oh, and some sugar."

"Ah, I see," Adrien said, placing the new, smaller saucepan onto the burner and turning on the heat. He melts the butter, lifting the pan and tilting it from side to side to spread the yellowed fat around. "Have the chips?"

"Mmmm..." She hummed, going back to rummage through the pantry again. "Here we go, nice big bag. I’m partial to the chocolate ones over the butterscotch. They’re just so rich."

Adrien opened the bag and started pouring the chips into the pan. They clinked and clattered, but then Adrien noticed a leg of a spider. "Oh, gross," he said, wrinkling his nose. "Marinette, there's a--"

And that's when he glanced back to the bag and saw the half dozen wolf spiders skittering over his hands.

Marinette yelped, wide-eyed and startled and OH DEAR LORD THEY SKITTER.

Marinette helpfully tried to fling them off his hands with her spoon, but of course that meant there were spiders flying to all corners of the kitchen.

Adrien screamed and dropped the bag--which landed in the saucepan. There were spiders and they tickled him and they had _fangs_ and _eyes_ and--he squeaked and leaped back from the oven, brushing them off his hands and forearms.

He steps on one with a satisfying crunch.

"Why are they so big?" he screeched.

"I don't know!" Marinette wails when one clings to the spoon with a remarkable amount of tenacity. "They must be alien mutant spiders!"

Logical deduction and all that.

Adrien turns the heat off after making sure he's not covered by any eight-legged terrors. He seized Marinette’s hand and dragged her out of the kitchen with a quiet, terrified, "Run!"

Marinette offered no resistance, abandoning her spider-infested spoon in her flight.

It might be awhile before they bake with chocolate again.

 **Options** :

[Sweet ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008)> [Chocolate ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918143)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	5. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt

Adrien watched as Marinette’s frown deepened while she rifled through the apparently salt-less pantry. “Do you need my help?” he said, tilting his head.

“No, it’s here, I know it is… Ah!” Marinette said, triumphantly pulling out the blue container of salt, which sported a girl in yellow holding an umbrella on the label. “Here it is.”

Adrien’s tense shoulders relaxed. “Great,” he said, turning the burner back on. “Thanks for finding it.”

Holding her prize, Marinette crossed back to him and set the salt on the table near his elbow. “You only need--”

An akuma alert shrieked on both their phones, interrupting her instructions. They both groaned. “Of course Hawkmoth would throw one today,” Adrien said, his voice a touch bitter. He turned off the heat again. “Marinette, I, uh… I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Me, too!” she said, flailing a little. “So I’ll use the one in my room, and you use the one on the second floor, and we’ll meet up to finish the souffle afterwards?”

“Sounds good,” Adrien said, flashing her a thumbs up. “Though I also need to make a call to Nathalie to let her know I’m safe, and that could take a while. I’ll do that outside, so don’t wait up for me, okay?”

“Adrien,” Marinette said, laying a hand on his shoulder and offering him a little squeeze. “Stay safe, okay?”

Adrien patted her hand and stepped away from the stove. “Will do,” he said, muting the akuma alert on his phone with the press of a button. “Stick around the bakery. Ladybug will take care of the akuma before you know it.”

Marinette shut off her own alert. “Not without Chat Noir, she won’t. She can’t do anything without him.”

“I disagree, but I really have to, uh, use the restroom,” Adrien said, rubbing the back of his head, “so we can have that discussion afterwards, okay?”

“Sure.”

Apron and all, Adrien booked it to the second floor, with Marinette following close behind. She darted past him on the stairs, presumably heading up to her room.

Adrien shut the bathroom door behind him. “Plagg,” he said, looking at the kwami, who had phased out of his shirt. “Claws out!”

Thankfully, there was a window in the bathroom leading to the outside, but it was a tight squeeze. _Good thing I’m so skinny,_ Chat thought, amused. Marinette had been feeding him more, having said that he was way too thin for his own good. He was already looking forward to finishing up the souffle after this stupid battle.

Chat arrived on the scene after Ladybug. A large villain made entirely of dough was shooting globs of the sticky substance at her from his hands, monologuing the entire time about a bad review of his doughnut shop.

“... And another thing! I make excellent bear claws! Pierre Brun has no idea what he’s missing! DoughNut will take his revenge, and retrieve your miraculous, Ladybug and Chat Noir!” DoughNut said, and then paused for a breath. “Give them to me!”

“Chat!” Ladybug said, greeting him over her shoulder as she dodged huge dough globules. “I think he’s like Glaciator!”

“Doughy outside, chewy center?” Chat said, using his baton to vault around and avoid being stuck.

“Gross, Chat,” Ladybug said, wrinkling her nose. She backflipped in the air, a shot of dough missing her hair by centimeters.

Chat laughed. Gosh, he loved her. She was a combination of grace and good humor, beautiful and effective at whatever she decided to put her mind to.

“Pretty much!” Chat said, giggling to himself. He’d already thought up a pun he hoped she’d approve of. “My Lady, _icing_ where the akuma might be! The glasses on his head!”

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed as she looked to where Chat pointed. “Good eye, Kitty, I barely spotted those.” They were embedded in DoughNut’s face; Chat barely spotted them himself, but the sun had glinted off the lenses.

Chat beamed at her. “Anytime.”

“Chat!” Ladybug said, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Keep him busy! I have a plan!”

“Ready when you are, Bugaboo!”

**Options:**

[Ladybug summons her Lucky Charm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918449)?

-or-

[Ladybug does not summon her Lucky Charm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918419)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	6. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt > Ladybug Does Not Summon Her Lucky Charm

Chat dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding the sticky dough being shot at him from DoughNut’s hands. The akuma was relentless; just when Chat thought the man would run out of dough, he seemed to pull more from his body--which did not appear to shrink in the slightest.

Chat was annoyed that DoughNut seemed to break the rules of physics.

Chat _liked_ physics.

Ladybug called out the second bit of instruction for her plan, the first of which was to keep the akuma busy. “Chat, lead him into the alleyway!” she said, standing on the roof of a nearby building and holding her yo-yo up. The taut cable led down to the ground in the alley. “And make sure he’s coming at you fast!”

“I won’t fall for your petty tricks!” DoughNut said, chasing after Chat anyway.

“You might!" Chat said cheerfully, dancing out of the way of the shots and progressing towards the alleyway. "At _yeast_ you got a review! You should _fry_ to be happy!”

“Auuuugh!” DoughNut said, pursuing Chat with his thick, stubby dough legs. “Stay still!”

Chat ran into the alley, only to see the reason he was supposed to be leading the akuma here: Ladybug had made a web out of her yo-yo cables, presumably intending to slough off the dough and capture the man inside. “Can’t catch me!”

Chat vaulted out of the way just as DoughNut barreled into the alleyway and slammed into the yo-yo net.

This plan, however, did not work.

Rather than being caught, DoughNut split into a ton of different pieces, all of which reformed into mini-DoughNuts on the other side of the web. They all turned as one to Chat and began firing dough from their hands. Chat couldn’t dodge out of the way of all of them, and ended up slammed against the wall from the force of the shots, where he ended up stuck. His baton clattered to the ground.

To make matters worse, his ring hand was left exposed.

“Cata--!” he cried desperately, right before unbaked dough filled his mouth. He choked, trying to breathe through his nose, which was still uncovered with the rest of his face.

Then Ladybug screamed. “Hawkmoth! You’re here!”

Hawkmoth laughed maniacally. “You’re doomed, Ladybug!”

Chat couldn’t move his neck to see what was going on on top of the roof, but he saw enough to know that Ladybug was in trouble. The mini-DoughNuts were trying to catch her in their sticky projectiles, and she was attempting to fend off Hawkmoth as well.

Chat wanted to _move_. He attempted to flail, but found himself completely trapped. He couldn’t protect his Lady. He was helpless.

To his horror, she fell into the alley, slamming into the ground as if she’d been shoved down from above. Her head struck the asphalt, and her body went limp.

 _No!_ Chat thought, once again attempting to struggle against his bonds. _Ladybug!_

Hawkmoth followed her down, landing in a crouch next to her insensate form. He immediately tore her earrings off her ears. The transformation light washed over her, revealing…

 _Marinette?_ Chat thought, breathing heavily through his nose. _Marinette! NO! No, no, no, no, no…_

Hawkmoth stalked over to Chat. The supervillain ripped the ring off of Chat’s hand, twisting his finger. Chat tried to cry out, but swallowed dough.

“At last,” Hawkmoth said, and let loose a wicked cackle. “Finally! I have them!”

Adrien closed his eyes. _I’m so sorry, my Lady._

It was all over. They had lost.

**Options:**

[Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008) > [Chocolate ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918143)> [Marinette Finds the Salt ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918335)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	7. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt > Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm

“Chat, cover me!” Ladybug said, and from the set of her shoulders and hand, Chat knew what she was about to do: summon her Lucky Charm.

“It’s okay that you’re like this, DoughNut!” Chat called, dodging and weaving out of the way of the akuma’s relentless shots. “We’ll just _sprinkle_ some magic ladybugs, and you’ll _rise_ again!”

“Auuugh!” DoughNut said, redoubling his efforts to pin Chat to the wall.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called, throwing her yo-yo into the air. "What am I supposed to do with a…"

**Options:**

[Giant container of sprinkles](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918476)?

-or-

[Giant fan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918620)?

-or-

[Giant Flamethrower](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918962)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	8. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt > Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm > Giant Container of Sprinkles

“What am I supposed to do with a giant container of sprinkles?” Ladybug said, and Chat chanced a glance over his shoulder at her. He turned his attention back to DoughNut just in time; the akuma had nearly caught him with the sticky ammunition.

“I have no idea, LB!” Chat said, landing in front of her. He spun his baton, blocking some dough globs to give her time to think about what to do. Her eyes darted around, and he knew she was engaging her Lucky Vision.

“I’ve got it!” Ladybug said, and popped the cap off the giant container. “Chat! Make him chase you!”

“You got it, Bugaboo!” Chat said, and dashed off towards DoughNut. “Hey, _doughnut_ forget about me, or your hard work will be all for _dough-naught_!”

Chat beamed as he heard Ladybug groan from behind him. “That was terrible.”

The akuma thought so, too. He roared and charged Chat, who bolted away. “Run, run, run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread… Chat?” Chat said, laughing as he flipped out of the way of a dough globule. He vaulted himself towards Ladybug with DoughNut in hot pursuit.

Ladybug shook the container, and just as Chat ran past her, threw the canister forward while still holding on to the end, spreading tiny sprinkles all over the ground. They acted as marbles, and when DoughNut stepped on them, his legs went out from under him.

“Do your thing, Kitty!” Ladybug called.

“Cataclysm!” Chat said, feeling the tingle of the power flooding into his hand. He vaulted over to the supine DoughNut, and touched his glasses with a finger as Chat passed by.

Ladybug caught the akuma in her yo-yo. Purple bubbles flooded over the victim, and the dough body vanished, leaving an adult man built like a fireplug in its place. “What happened?”

“Pound it!” Chat and Ladybug said, giving each other their customary fist bump.

As Ladybug comforted the victim, Chat wondered if he should leave immediately. He needed to get back to the bakery; there was no way Marinette was going to believe a simple call with Nathalie would have lasted this long.

But he wanted to talk to Ladybug. He so rarely got to spend time with her.

Decisions, decisions.

**Options:**

[Chat leaves immediately](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918536)?

-or-

[Chat hangs around](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918593)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	9. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt > Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm > Giant Container of Sprinkles > Chat Leaves Immediately

No, he couldn’t hang out with Ladybug. Marinette needed him. He threw his partner a two-finger salute, which she returned with a nod, and started pole-vaulting his way back to the 21st arrondissement.

He landed in front of the bakery and ducked into the nearby alleyway to detransform. After taking a moment to feed Plagg some cheese, Adrien walked through the front door of the boulangerie, ringing the bell. “Marinette?”

Tom and Sabine greeted him from the counter. “Welcome, Adrien,” Sabine said, blinking at him. “We didn’t see you leave.”

“Oh, I just stepped out to make a phone call to Nathalie,” Adrien said, coughing into his fist. “Is Marinette upstairs?”

“She should be,” Tom said, beaming at him. “Go ahead and find her, son.”

 _Son._ Every time Tom used the moniker, Adrien liked to pretend that he really was part of the Dupain-Cheng family. The thought warmed his heart. “Thanks, Mr. Dupain!”

Adrien went upstairs. But Marinette was nowhere to be found. He called her name again, wondering if he should try and track her down. _I wonder where she could be? She couldn’t still be in the bathroom._

Almost without thinking, Adrien climbed the stairs to her room. He’d only been there a few times and didn’t know if he was invited there, but he was starting to get worried. _Did she go outside during the akuma attack?_ he thought, panic licking its way across his brain. _Maybe she’s hurt? I just have to find her!_

Gripping the banister tightly and then releasing it, he took the stairs two at a time. He burst through the trapdoor without knocking. “Marinette?”

She wasn’t there. _Maybe she’s up on the balcony?_ Adrien didn’t know how he felt about climbing onto his very good friend’s bed, but he was anxious to find her. He took these stairs two at a time as well, and shimmied onto her bed.

Opening the skylight, he popped his head through…

Only to catch Ladybug’s red transformation light washing over her body, revealing Marinette Dupain-Cheng as the girl beneath the mask.

“Ladybug?” Adrien said, gasping.

“A-Adrien!” Marinette said, Tikki hovering over her shoulder. “What are you--why are you in my room!”

Heat flooded Adrien’s face. “I... I was worried about you. Because of the akuma attack,” he said, a slow grin spreading across his lips. “But I shouldn’t have been! Because you--you’re Ladybug!”

Marinette slapped her cheeks. “You’re not supposed to know! No one is!”

Adrien was climbing out onto the balcony, but he stilled halfway there. “Not even Chat?”

“Especially not Chat!” Marinette said, starting to pace in the small space. “If my identity is compromised--what if Hawkmoth brainwashes you? Or captures you? Or worse!”

“It’s too late for that now,” Adrien said, finishing his exit from her room. “My Lady.”

Marinette jerked to a stop. “C-Chat?” she said, her bluebell eyes wide and questioning. “Is… Is it you?”

Adrien nodded. He stepped closer to her, and feeling bold, took her hands in his. “In the fur.”

Marinette closed her eyes and let out a little whine. Adrien held his breath. Her eyes snapped open. “Okay,” she said. “We can work with this.”

“I’m glad you think so, Bugaboo,” Adrien said, beaming at her, “because we don’t really have a choice at this point. It’s not like we have the chance for a do-over.”

**Options:**

[Sweet ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008)> [Chocolate ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918143)> [Marinette Finds the Salt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918335) > [Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918449) > [Giant Container of Sprinkles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918476)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	10. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt > Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm > Giant Container of Sprinkles > Chat Hangs Around

Yeah, Chat could hang around a little. He almost never spent time with his Lady, and always missed her when he was away. “Hey, LB,” Chat said, approaching Ladybug and the victim. “How about we catch a movie sometime?”

“Not now, Chat,” Ladybug said. She took her hand off the victim’s shoulder and pressed her fingertips to her forehead, just above her nose. “I thought you were going to stop asking me out.”

The victim held up a finger. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Maybe,” Chat said, just as Ladybug said, “No.”

She looked up at him with a pleading expression that she couldn’t make heads or tails of. Her earrings chirped. “Chat… Can you take the victim home? I need to bug out.”

Chat frowned a little. _What’s come over me? I shouldn’t have asked her out,_ he thought, disgruntled with himself. _I… I don’t know if I even still love her in that way. Someone else has caught my attention._ He nodded to Ladybug, confirming that he could take the victim home. “Sure can do, Bugaboo.”

She smiled at him, and Chat wanted to wrap himself up in that smile and live there forever. Even if he didn’t love her like he would a girlfriend--she was too unattainable, and had rejected him too often--he did still love her and want her approval. “Thanks. Bug out!”

With a _ziiiip_ of her yo-yo, she was gone. Chat took the victim home, and beat a hasty retreat to the bakery. The transformation light washed over him just as he landed in the alleyway behind the boulangerie. After taking a moment to make sure Plagg was topped off with cheese, Adrien entered the front door, making the bell ring.

Tom and Sabine greeted him from behind the counter. “Adrien?” Tom said, tilting his head at the boy. “Did you go outside during an akuma attack? We didn’t see you leave.”

“I had to place a call to Nathalie,” Adrien said, heat creeping into his cheeks. “Sorry, I won’t leave again.”

“Just be careful,” Sabine said, furrowing her brow at him. “Marinette should be upstairs. Feel free to go see her.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Cheng,” Adrien said, bowing to her, his hand over his heart.

Looking for Marinette, Adrien climbed the stairs. “Hi, Marinette,” Adrien said, beaming at the girl in the kitchen. “Did you still want to make that souffle?”

Marinette smiled back at him. Like Ladybug’s smile, he was pretty sure he could be happy with the rest of his life if it was spent staring at Marinette’s lips.

“Let’s,” she said, and crossed to the stove to look at his bechamel. “I don’t know if this will still be good. We might want to toss it and make some new bechamel.”

“Oh, sure,” Adrien said, walking to the sink to wash his hands again He followed her to pick up the pan. He scrubbed out the flour and butter, which had already started sticking as it was cooled. Meanwhile, Marinette preheated the oven to 190 C.

Soon, he was stirring flour, salt, butter, and hot milk together, and Marinette instructed him while leaning on the counter. “When do we add the chocolate?” Adrien said, stirring the bechamel carefully while Marinette separated the eggs.

“First we have to melt it,” Marinette said, giggling. “Here, get out another, smaller saucepan, and add about a tablespoon of butter to it.”

“About?” Adrien said, a smile quirking his lips. Marinette’s way of cooking with imprecise measurements drove him absolutely batty, but he still liked the rest of her. He teased her for cooking in the way she did, and she teased him right back.

“Yes, silly, about,” Marinette said, sticking her tongue out at him. Then she sighed explosively. “If you really must, you can measure out a full tablespoon.”

“Thank you, my Lady.”

Marinette blanched. Her lip quivered. “My Lady?”

 _Oh, shoot,_ Adrien thought. _Why did I say that? She’s not Ladybug._ He rubbed the back of his neck, and washed his hands again. “Sorry. Do you not like that nickname?”

“I’m just… not used to nicknames, I guess,” Marinette said, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “But maybe you can find a different one?”

“Of course,” Adrien said, glancing over at her. Marinette was focused on separating the eggs, and was sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. She was dusted in a small amount of flour, with some of it in her hair and a bit on her shoulder.

Concentrating on her task, helping him learn how to bake a souffle, Adrien thought she’d never looked more beautiful.

Emboldened, he turned the heat down on the bechamel and stepped over to her. Then he cupped her cheeks. “How about my treasure?”

Marinette’s face felt warm in his hold, as a blush flooded her cheeks. “W-What? Adrien, what are you--”

“Be my girlfriend?” he said softly, staring deep into her bluebell eyes. “I think I’ve fallen for you, Marinette. You’re on my mind all the time. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you.”

“O-Oh,” Marinette said, back to stammering. “Adrien, I…” His heart sank. He’d been too bold. He’d pushed her too far. She didn’t really like him, all the lighthearted banter meant noth-- “I will. Can I kiss you?”

Adrien rocketed up to cloud nine. “Please.”

She set the egg separator down, and her hands came up to wrap around his wrists. He licked his lips in anticipation of feeling hers. She molded her soft mouth over his, sending a thrill through him. He craned his neck down so she wouldn’t have to stand on her tiptoes, his eyelids fluttering closed.

The kiss was everything he’d ever dreamed of. She was gentle with him, tentatively exploring his offering as he explored her in turn. His hand smoothed slid to the back of her head, so he could pull her closer, closer, closer…

The sensations of her mouth and her hands and her _warmth_ flooded his senses. She tasted of chocolate-covered cherries, which he found he loved. So enraptured by all things Marinette, Adrien barely remembered to breathe through his nose. He started to get dizzy, but he didn’t want to break the kiss.

Unfortunately for him, she did. But her smile made up for the lack of contact. “Wow,” she said, her grin bright and blinding.

“Wow,” Adrien agreed. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long, long time.”

“Me, too,” Marinette said, her smile crinkling the corners of her eyes.

“Really?” Adrien said, raising his brows. “I had no idea. If I had known, Marinette, I would have… done something about it, to be sure.”

“I tried to confess so many times,” Marinette said, with a little laugh. “But that’s all behind us now. Are you… Are you sure you still want to date me?”

“Absolutely,” Adrien said, stealing another kiss from her lips, this time chaste. “Do you still want to make the souffle?”

“Maybe after we kiss for a little bit?” Marinette said, her eyes adorably hopeful.

“Please.”

**Options:**

[Sweet ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008)> [Chocolate ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918143)> [Marinette Finds the Salt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918335) > [Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918449) > [Giant Container of Sprinkles](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918476)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	11. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt > Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm > Giant Fan

“What am I going to do with a giant fan?” Ladybug said, her eyes darting around. Chat knew she was using her Lucky Vision.

“I don’t know, but you’d better figure it out quick!” Chat said, spinning his baton in front of her and seeing some dough stick to the metal.

“I got it!” Ladybug said, and laughed. “Of course! It’s so obvious!”

Not to Chat, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

“Be ready, Kitty!”

“Cataclysm!” Chat said, feeling the tingle of power filling his hand. Shoulders tense, Chat waited for her signal. She darted forward, slamming the giant fan down in front of the akuma. Turning it on, she held the fan steady.

The fan worked. DoughNut disintegrated, blowing apart in small pieces. His dough-covered glasses clattered to the ground. Chat bolted towards them and picked them up in his Cataclysmic hand. They turned to ash, releasing the purple butterfly.

Ladybug caught the akuma in her yo-yo, and turned to Chat to offer him a fist bump. “Pound it!”

“Pound it, my Lady!” he said, grinning at her.

Purple bubbles flowed over the dough pieces, which coalesced and revealed a man built like a fireplug. “What happened?”

“Chat, can you take the victim home?” she said, and Chat sighed. He really wanted to spend time with his Lady, but if she had to bug out, then she had to bug out.

“Sure can do, Bugaboo,” Chat said, trying not to let his sadness infect his voice.

“Thanks, Chat,” Ladybug said, patting his shoulder before she _ziiiiipped_ off.

“No problem,” Chat said, to her retreating form. He approached the victim. “Sir? Are you ready to go home?”

“Oh, I was akumatized? Thank you for saving me, Chat Noir!” the victim said, scrambling to his feet. “How can I ever thank you?”

Chat held up a hand. “That won’t be necessary. Just part of the job.”

“I insist!” the victim said, holding a hand over his heart. “Let me give you a dozen doughnuts from my shop! It’s the least I can do.”

“Hmm…”

**Options:**

[Chat accepts the doughnuts from the akumatized victim](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918809)?

-or-

[Chat does not accept the doughnuts from the akumatized victim](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918875)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	12. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt > Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm > Giant Fan > Chat Accepts the Doughnuts from the Akumatized Victim

“Sure!” Chat said, grinning from ear to ear. “I love doughnuts, and I would like to try yours!”

The victim’s eyes lit up. “That would be great! And maybe I can get an endorsement from you…”

Chat took the victim back to his shop, a cute, blue building with the name “Hole-y Moly.” Chat told the shopkeeper he approved of the pun, and accepted a dozen various doughnuts from the man.

And promptly realized he had no idea what to do with them.

 _I can’t take these back to Marinette’s,_ Chat thought, stuffing a maple bar in his mouth. He burned a lot of calories as Chat, and he was starving. _Can I?_

He decided that yes, he could, and concocted a story he hoped was believable on the way back to the bakery.

After detransforming in the alleyway behind the bakery, Adrien fed Plagg. After making sure his kwami was well-cared for, Adrien circled around to the front door, still holding the box of doughnuts. He walked through, ringing the bell.

Tom and Sabine greeted him from behind the counter. “Adrien?” Sabine said quizzically. “We didn’t see you leave. Where did you get doughnuts?”

“Oh, uh,” Adrien said, shrugging a shoulder as he carried the doughnuts. “Marinette had a craving for a specific doughnut from a specific shop, so she asked me to go get them.”

“In the middle of an akuma attack?” Tom said, blinking at him as he shut the brick oven. “That was irresponsible of you both.”

Adrien hung his head. He hated disappointing people, especially people who cared about him so much. “I’m sorry, sir. I won’t do that again.”

“Marinette is upstairs,” Sabine said gently. “Since you have the doughnuts, you may as well take them to her.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Cheng,” Adrien said, walking past the two bakers to plod up the stairs.

“What the heck are those?” Marinette said, her bluebell eyes twinkling as she leaned against the counter.

“Would you believe me if I told you Nathalie had them delivered especially for us?” Adrien said, fluttering his eyelashes.

“Not for a moment,” Marinette said, shaking her head with a cheeky grin. “Where did you get doughnuts?”

“A little shop called Hole-y Moly.”

“Cute,” Marinette said, wrinkling her nose. “But why did you get doughnuts? I thought we were going to make a souffle.”

“I very much still want to make a souffle with you, Marinette,” Adrien said honestly, setting the box of doughnuts aside on the counter. He took both her hands in his. “Baking with you is the highlight of my week… my month. My whole year, really. I can’t think of any other way I’d rather spend my time than spending it with you.”

Marinette flushed prettily, color blooming on her cheeks like peonies. “Oh.”

Adrien smiled at her. “Shall we make the souffle?”

“Let’s.”

Options:

[Sweet ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008)> [Chocolate ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918143)> [Marinette Finds the Salt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918335) > [Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918449) > [Giant Fan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918620)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	13. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt > Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm > Giant Fan > Chat Does Not Accept Doughnuts from the Akumatized Victim

“No, thank you,” Chat said, grinning down at the fireplug of a man. “I couldn’t possibly accept a reward from a Parisian that I was meant to protect!”

“If you’re sure,” the victim said, his expression downcast.

“Maybe I can stop by the store sometime?” Chat said, and the shopkeeper brightened. “Not today, I have somewhere to be, but sometime later in the week?”

“Oh, that would be great!” the man said, back to beaming at him. “If you want to come by sometime and offer an endorsement, I would love to have you! The shop’s called Hole-y Moly. It’s in the 5th arrondissement.”

“I love the pun,” Chat said, his eyes narrowing in pleasure. Then he tilted his head. “Can you make it back to your shop on your own, or do you need me to take you home?”

“I can go back on my own,” the shopkeeper said, smiling at Chat. “Thanks, dough!”

“Great, thanks,” Chat said, chuckling, “because, again, I have somewhere to be. A lovely lady is waiting on me.”

The shopkeeper chuckled. “I’m sure she’s very lucky.”

“I’m the lucky one, believe me.”

After bidding adieu to the victim, Chat sped back to the bakery. He had a souffle to make, and Marinette to tease.

 _Marinette,_ Chat thought, his chest warming at the very thought of her. He wondered if he should make a move on her--which sounded crude in his head. He wouldn’t be making a move, he’d be asking her to be his girlfriend.

Girlfriend. It wasn’t the first time he’d thought about the term in connection with Marinette, but this was the first time he found he really, really wanted that phrase to apply to her.

He still carried a torch for Ladybug. But she had already rejected him so many times, and was practically unattainable. He wondered if he was in love with the _idea_ of Ladybug rather than the superheroine herself.

These thoughts plagued him all the way back to the bakery. He landed in the alley behind it and destransformed, feeding Plagg. After making sure his kwami was taken care of, Adrien entered the front door to the bakery, making the bell ring.

“Adrien!” Marinette said, launching herself at him as soon as he stepped inside. Surprised, he barely caught her, but felt inordinately pleased with the way her slim body molded against his own. Her parents didn’t appear to be in the bakery downstairs, and he wondered where they were. “I was so worried! Where were you?”

“On a call,” Adrien said, wrapping his arms around her. The lie wasn't his smoothest one ever, but it was the one he’d established before he left. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

“What did Nathalie say?”

“Oh, you know, she’ll send the Gorilla to pick me up before dinnertime,” Adrien said, tempted to rub the back of his head, but not wanting to let go of his girlfriend--er, Marinette. He grasped her chin in his hand, tilting her head up to look her in the eyes. She moved her head closer to his, almost standing on her tiptoes. “And you? You stayed safe?”

“Of course,” Marinette said, her gaze on him softening. “I was only in the bathroom.”

Adrien smiled down at her. His lips were so, so close to hers. All he had to do was lean forward and close the distance.

She licked her lips, further cementing his desire to kiss her.

“Marinette,” he said, his voice sounding slightly husky to his ears. “Can I kiss you?”

Her eyes widened. From the flickering of her expressions, Adrien knew she was having an internal conversation. Her face settled, and he knew she’d come to a decision. He wondered what that decision had been, and was crestfallen when she still didn’t speak. _I shouldn’t have pushed… I shouldn’t have--_

She surprised him again by trailing the backs of her knuckles down his cheek.

“Please, Adrien,” she whispered, and surged forward to capture his lips in hers.

“Mmph,” he said against her mouth, opening his own to receive her affections. She responded eagerly, parting her lips and fisting her hands in his hair. His eyes closed. He brushed her tongue with his, teasing her by flicking it and darting back.

She actually growled at him. Adrien laughed against her, and surrendered his tongue. Marinette seemed to enjoy that, as she tugged him even closer to her, licking his gums. Adrien adored her taste of chocolate and cherries, such a contrast to her coffee scent.

He opened his senses up to fully explore her, his hands roaming across her back and pressing her chest against his. Her touch was everything he’d ever wanted from her--and he wanted even more. He bit her lower lip gently, squeezing it between his teeth and pulling back with a _pop_ before diving in for more kisses.

Adrien dipped her, holding her tightly in his arms, his hand splayed across her upper back. Marinette bent willingly, moving in concert with him as if they’d been partners for years, and were just taking the next step in their relationship. She closed her lips around his tongue and sucked, and he made a strangled sound in his throat, mind blown with how pleasurable that felt.

This was all so _good_. So, so good, and Adrien didn’t want the kissing to ever stop.

But then it did. She broke the kiss, panting and flushed, her lips red and kiss-swollen. Her eyes were wide and somewhat wild, and Adrien patted himself on the back for reducing her to such a state. “Wow,” she said.

“Wow,” he agreed, helping her straighten up.

She kissed him again, and again, and again--the afternoon was filled with kisses. Somewhere in there, somewhen, they baked a killer chocolate souffle.

Adrien wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Options:**

[Sweet ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008)> [Chocolate ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918143)> [Marinette Finds the Salt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918335) > [Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918449) > [Giant Fan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918620)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	14. Sweet > Chocolate > Marinette Finds the Salt > Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm > Giant Flamethrower

“What do I do with a giant flamethrower?” Ladybug said, hefting the tool up and staring at it.

Chat, spinning his baton in front of her to protect her from the dough globules, glanced over his shoulder and laughed. “Isn’t it obvious? Let’s get cooking!”

Ladybug grinned in return. Chat patted himself on the back for making her eyes light up at the suggestion. “Okay!” she said. “I can do that.”

“All you, my Lady,” Chat said, whipping dough off his baton. She darted out in front of him, dodging forward through balls of dough. Planting her feet and hauling the giant flamethrower up, she depressed the trigger and let loose a massive gout of flame.

“Noooo!” DoughNut said, throwing his arms up to try to protect himself. He tried to skitter backwards, but he was huge and lumbering, too slow for Ladybug’s advance.

Chat sniffed. The smell of burnt bread filtered through the air. After staggering under the inferno’s blast, DoughNut stood stock still, charred in front and rooted to the spot.

“Do your thing, Kitty!” Ladybug said, turning off the spurting blaze.

“Gladly,” Chat said, vaulting his way up to the top of the akuma’s head. “Cataclysm!”

The glasses dissolved into ash when he poked them with his index finger, releasing the akuma. Ladybug leapt into the air with her powerful legs and caught the purple butterfly in her yo-yo.

Purple bubbles flooded over the baked dough body, leaving behind a man built like a fireplug with a confused look on his face. “What happened?”

“Pound it!” Ladybug and Chat Noir gave each other a fist bump.

“Chat, can you take the victim home?” Ladybug said, already preparing to throw her yo-yo off to a rooftop.

“Sure can do, Bugaboo,” Chat said, flashing a thumbs up.

He took the man back to his shop--a cute, blue building titled Hole-y Moly--and sped back to the bakery. Dropping into the alley behind the boulangerie, Chat detransformed and fed Plagg his requisite camembert.

“I’m staaaarving,” Plagg said, his tone bordering on a whine.

“Eat up, buddy,” Adrien said, not without sympathy. “I need to make a souffle.”

By the time Adrien entered the bakery, Marinette was leaning on the table. Her parents were nowhere to be seen, so he assumed they were taking a break, and she was covering the shop. “Adrien! What took you so long?”

Adrien rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, Marinette. The call took a lot longer than I thought.”

“Oh?” Marinette said, tilting her head. “What did Nathalie say?”

“That she’d send the Gorilla to pick me up before dinnertime,” Adrien said. His words weren’t exactly a lie; Nathalie had told him that. But that was earlier that day, and not on a phone call just now. “Where are your parents?”

“They had to step out for a bit to take care of some business,” Marinette said, shrugging. “We’re covering the counter until they return.”

“Fine by me,” Adrien said, his words belying his nervousness. He’d never worked a service job, and he didn’t know how he’d manage.

As it turned out, Adrien managed fine. A British customer had asked questions in English, and since Marinette’s grasp on the language wasn’t as good as Adrien’s, the boy handled the order. Marinette had just finished ringing the man up when her parents returned.

“Thank you for patronizing the establishment,” Adrien said to the customer, having dropped into more formal speech when he started speaking English.

Tom and Sabine thanked the teens, and Adrien turned to Marinette. “Shall we bake the souffle?”

“Yes, let’s,” Marinette said, beaming at him as she moved to the stairs. “I’ve already thrown out the old bechamel. The mixture was sticking to the pan like tar because it had cooled.”

“Let me whip up a new bechamel base while you separate eggs?” Adrien said, following her to the kitchen. “Is that okay?”

“That’s fine with me,” Marinette said, her gaze softening for a reason he couldn’t quite place.

Soon, Adrien stirred a new butter-flour-salt-milk blend in one saucepan, and melted some chocolate chips with butter in another. Both his hands were occupied, which is how he liked to bake. He whisked Marinette’s separated yolks into the base. Marinette finished whipping the egg whites into a meringue, and carried the bowl over to him.

“Ready?” she asked, with a quick grin.

“Always,” he said, and dumped the chocolate directly into the bechamel at her instruction. He mixed the two sauces together, and then took the pan off the heat. Marinette watched him. Adrien felt wonderful with all her attention on him, and wished things could stay just like this. “Okay, so now we fold in the egg whites?”

“Carefully,” Marinette said, leaning her elbows on the counter and cupping her chin. “You don’t want to lose all the air I just beat into them.”

Adrien dropped a dollop of chocolate and bechamel blend into the egg whites. He folded them over carefully with his spatula, and combined the meringue with the souffle base. “Like this?”

“Yup,” Marinette said cheerfully. “You want to combine the egg whites enough to make sure you don’t have white streaks in your souffle, but not enough that it all goes flat. You’re blending them right. Good job, Adrien.”

Adrien basked in her praise. “Thanks,” he said, heat blooming in his cheeks. Soon, he presented to her a full bowl of souffle batter.

She pulled a souffle pan out and sprayed it down with olive oil spray. “Here we go. Let’s transfer the souffle over.”

Adrien easily scraped the batter into the pan with his spatula and placed the souffle into the oven. “How long should we set the timer for?”

“Twenty-three minutes,” Marinette said, nodding. She waited for him to set the timer, and then approached him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Adrien marveled at how beautiful she was at that moment. At every moment. How had he never seen that before? He’d been so blind.

“So, Adrien… Have you ever played Le Donjon de Naheulbeuk? Because we should.”

Adrien took her by the shoulders. Emboldened by her question, he leaned forward and kissed her temple. She squeaked. “I’d love to.”

Marinette flushed deeply with the prettiest shade of pink Adrien had ever seen. She offered him a quick grin and ducked her head. “Well, then let’s play that until the timer goes off.”

Le Donjon involved raiding a dungeon and defeating sorcerers while passing skill checks by doing silly things. When the timer went off, Adrien was standing on a chair with a Destiny Tile on his head as Marinette giggled.

He climbed down from the chair and crossed to the oven, donning two oven mitts. Marinette stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Be careful opening the oven. You don’t want the souffle to fall.”

Adrien followed her instruction, and pulled out a gloriously tall and delicious-smelling souffle. “Mmm,” he said, inhaling the scent of it. “Shall we dig in?”

“Let’s.”

**Options:**

[Sweet ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008)> [Chocolate ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918143)> [Marinette Finds the Salt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918335) > [Ladybug Summons Her Lucky Charm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918449)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	15. Sweet > Lemon

"You know, I've always been partial to lemon,” Marinette said, with a quick grin. “It’s sweet, and kind of sassy. That's kind of an awesome combination."

"Yes, that reminds me of someone," Adrien said, winking at her and enjoying her resulting flush. That he could have that kind of an effect on her secretly thrilled him. He crossed to the fridge and pulled out butter and eggs. "So how much butter do we need for the bechamel?"

"Three tablespoons, and the same for flour,” Marinette said, grabbing the flour bin and the tablespoon measure. "That part, at least, is easy."

"Sounds good," Adrien said, and walked to the stove, carrying his precious ingredients. He located a saucepan and cut three tablespoons of butter into it before turning on the burner. "And then we add milk after this, right?"

"Right, why don't I do that bit, since it's pretty simple and you're the one learning to make these things, and you get on separating out the eggs?" Marinette said, grabbing up a spoon and going to tend the butter.

Adrien nodded and abandoned the pan to count out seven eggs. He carted them over to a mixing bowl. "All right," he says to himself. "I can do this."

**Options:**

[Adrien is great at separating eggs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919067)?

-or-

[Adrien is crap at separating eggs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919214)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	16. Sweet > Lemon > Adrien is Great at Separating Eggs

“Oh, separating eggs will be easy,” Adrien said, and picked up one up. “Chef taught me how to do this a long time ago.”

He cracked the first egg one-handed and separated the yolk from the white meticulously. _One down, six to go…_

"Are you sure you haven't cooked before?" Marinette said, raising an eyebrow. She had made souffles for a year and never had technique like that.

Adrien’s cheeks flooded with heat. “No, I... It was sort of a reward? To get to do it? I mean, that's how my mother put it, anyway, and, well..." he said, separating another egg as he speaks.

"There were times when she'd let me go into the kitchen. Like on holidays, when the chef was overwhelmed. I'd separate eggs for what felt like hours, but it was worth it, to…” He swallowed thickly, eyes casting down to the bowl. He peeked at Marinette. “... help the staff. The adults around me had always told me I was underfoot, you know? It was nice to be useful."

Marinette’s jaw dropped. She stared at him over her shoulder for a moment, and then started, and began stirring the bechamel again. “I’m glad you were useful, Adrien,” she said, a bit brokenly, as if she had to force the words out. Then she turned the heat off and set the spatula aside.

She stomped over to him, stopping directly in front of him, her lower lip quivering. He set down the eggshells he was holding and faced her. “Marinette?”

She threw her arms around him, pinning his own to his sides. Adrien was stunned by her actions, but he was even more stunned by her words. “You don’t have to be useful to me to be valid. I value you. I love you, for you.”

 _She… loves me?_ Adrien thought, stunned. _No… Surely she just means as a friend. A friend._

Tears stung Adrien’s eyes. He wriggled, and she loosened her hold, so he was able to wrap his arms around her. “Thank you,” he said, sniffling. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Marinette said, pulling back to look him in the eyes. She cupped his cheeks in her hand, and kissed the corner of his mouth. “You are whole and complete just as you are. You don’t need perfect words to charm me.”

Adrien’s tears flowed over her fingers. She seemed to ignore them. “You’re so kind, Marinette. Gentle, and validating, and non-assuming. You look out for everyone, our everyday Ladybug. Thank you,” he said, turning his head to kiss her palm, “for loving me.”

Marinette’s lips quirked. “Of course, Adrien. Anytime. Shall we make the souffle?”

“Please,” Adrien said, wiping his tears as she stepped away. Marinette returned to the bechamel, and he separated his third egg carefully.

Marinette turned the heat on and worked steadily on the base. “Did you like Chef? Did he treat you kindly?”

“That one did,” Adrien said, shrugging. He set the bowl with four yolks aside after he separated yet another egg. He worked on a fifth and then a sixth as he speaks. “My mother fired him because she said we were getting too close for comfort.”

Marinette’s expression was one of pure, unadulterated horror. Then she drew a breath through her nose, her lips twisting into a deep frown. She stomped over to the yolks, and picked the bowl up. “I see,” she said icily. The yolks disappeared into the base.

“What?” Adrien said, finishing with his eggs and bringing them over to the mixer. He attached the bowl to the mixer's base and turned it on to whip them into submission. “What do you see, Marinette?”

“Just…” Marinette started, stirring furiously. She sighed, and tapped the spatula on the edge of the pot. “I can see why you wanted to be useful, that’s all.”

Adrien turned off the mixture when the egg whites are fluffy and stiff. They peaked when he lifted the whisk. “Oh,” he said, a little uncomfortable with examining his childhood in detail. “How’s that base coming?”

"It’s ready for you," Marinette said, moving out of his way to go fetch the souffle pan. "Those look good."

Adrien could be smug and say, "of course they do," but he's never whipped eggs before, and he's glad they look good. He's even gladder that she said it. Plus, he doesn’t feel like being smug. He feels off-kilter, and he doesn’t know why.

"Okay," he says, and detached the bowl from the mixer to carry it over to her. "So how do we fold this in? Carefully, I assume?"

"Very--you don't want to lose all that air you just beat in." Marinette said, setting the pan near the awaiting pot.

She handed him a spatula, which was an offensive shade of neon chartreuse. Adrien thought she picked that color on purpose. Still, he didn’t mind using puke-green spatulas as long as they got the job done.

He dropped the egg whites in with a bit of the base and folded them over as instructed, blending them in. "Like this?"

"Yep. You want to get them mixed in enough that they won't make white streaks in your finished souffle, but not so much that it goes all flat," Marinette said, leaning on the counter again.

Adrien made good use of his snot-colored, yellow-green spatula. Soon, he presented a filled baking dish of souffle batter to her.

She nodded. “Good job, Adrien,” Marinette said, and he wrapped himself up in the praise like a fuzzy blanket while he transferred the batter to a greased souffle pan.

"Thanks. We've preheated the oven, right?" he said, carrying the pan over there. "How long do we put it in for?"

"About twenty, twenty-five minutes? It needs to be puffy and golden on top, but not burning," she said, grinning. "Now, have you ever played Dutch Blitz? Because you're going to."

**Options:**

[Nineteen minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919106)?

-or-

[Twenty-six minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919121)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	17. Sweet > Lemon > Adrien is Great at Separating Eggs > Nineteen Minutes

Nineteen minutes later, Adrien had realized very thoroughly how badly he sucks at Dutch Blitz. He slapped his remaining cards on the table and folded his arms.

"This is ridiculous," he said, huffing like an asthmatic kitten. "I'm going to check on the souffle."

He stomped over to the oven, being a bit over-dramatic for effect, and opened the door. _Schlump!_ went the soufflé, and Adrien’s face fell with it. “Er. Marinette. Something's happened."

Marinette, who had been having a grand old time trouncing Adrien thoroughly, comes up behind him to see what's happened. ".... Ooooh. Well."

"Did... Did it just fall? The nerve of it," Adrien said, resting his hand on his knee. He frowned, creasing his brow. "So, um. Huh. We can still eat it, I guess?"

"Well, I mean, we can. It just won't be as good." Marinette wrinkled her nose at it. "And it's still underdone."

"Well," Adrien said, sighing. He reached for the chocolate chip bag. "There are always croissants. We even have chocolate."

“Good idea.”

 **Options** :

[Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008) > [Lemon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918998) > [Adrien is Great at Separating Eggs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919067)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	18. Sweet > Lemon > Adrien is Great at Separating Eggs > Twenty-six Minutes

"One more game!" Adrien demanded, holding up his pointer finger. Then he sat up, nose wriggling. "Marinette. Do you smell that?"

"Alright, I'll...." Marinette paused when he did, and frowned. "Yeah, it's..." She turned to look at the oven with an expression of dread. “I know that smell all too well. I just hope nothing has burned to the bottom of the oven.”

"Aw, oh no," Adrien said, setting his cards down to cross to the oven. He opened the door to reveal a blackened souffle in a baking dish. Some of it oozed over the sides, as if trying to escape.

The boy sighed. "Well. There's always croissants?"

“Yup.”

**Options:**

[Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008) > [Lemon ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918998)> [Adrien is Great at Separating Eggs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919067)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	19. Sweet > Lemon > Adrien is Crap at Separating Eggs

Adrien drew a deep breath and cracked his first egg. "Whoa," he said, as the yellow liquid poured out. Luckily, he didn't break the yolk, but when he tried to separate the white from it, he failed miserably. Gloppy yellow yolk dripped into the mixing bowl.

 _Oh, well,_ he thought. _A little yolk in a soufflé isn't going to be too bad. I hope._

Marinette looked up from her butter-melting operation and did an admirable job not laughing at the egg-separating disaster.

"No, that one's going to have to be tossed, unless you want a scrambled egg,” she said. “We put the yolks in the base and then add the whipped whites later, it doesn't work well mixed up."

Marinette then chuckled for real. “I tried that, too. One in a long string of failures.”

Heat flooded Adrien’s face. The eggshell slipped from his fingers and landed with a quiet plop in the now not-separated-at-all eggs. "Oh, um," he said, trying for good-natured teasing, “well, I wasn't thinking of leaving it that way! What kind of cook do you think I am?"

Adrien grinned back at her. He carried the mixing bowl to the sink and rinsed it out before trying to separate the eggs again. This time he managed a little better, but the next one ended up with an eggshell, which he tried to pick out with his fingers. _Cooking is so gross._

"A beginner?" Marinette said with a grin. "Don't worry, you can beat the whites as much as you want and the souffle still won't come out hard."

Unlike, y'know, certain doughs…

“Hey!” Adrien said, laughing as he worked on another egg. “I resent that remark. I learned how to make croissants properly eventually. And Nathalie loved them, I'll have you know."

“Yes, they were wonderful." Marinette smiled crookedly, stirring the butter. "I mean, there's lots of military types in France. They can use them as projectile weapons."

Adrien chuckled, working on the next egg. "The first ones I baked, perhaps, but I am a croissant expert now. I've only ever burned four batches since then."

"A croissant expert, huh? And somehow my breakfasts are sans-croissant, I find this to be a tragedy, honestly." Marinette made a sad face at him while reaching for the sugar to sweeten the base.

Adrien glanced up at her, nearly dropping his egg. "You… you want me to provide your breakfast?”

"You're making croissants without me that Nathalie is raving about and you don't give me any?” Marinette said cheerfully. “That's pretty low, you know."

Adrien gasped. "No, no no no, you don't get to do that," the boy said, furrowing his brow as he wiped the egg whites off his fingers on a hand towel. Gosh, he hated having his hands get dirty. "I want to give you croissants. And we’ve eaten them together before. Do you want one right now? I'm thinking of trying to make a mocha version."

"No, I don't want one right now, I need egg yolks," Marinette said, letting the base rest while she fetched lemons to juice.

Adrien grumbled something in Chinese under his breath, and went back to the hated chore of separating eggs. He ended up with yolk in his six whites and had to start all over again. Finally, he presented seven pristine whites to Marinette. "Sheesh. Next time, you're separating the eggs."

"Next time, you're doing this yourself while I do my nails,” she said, not taking the bowl. "Go on, whip them. I have lemon juice to squeeze."

Adrien sighed the sigh of a whipped whipping boy. He dumped the egg whites unceremoniously in the mixer. Then he crossed to the sink and washed his filthy hands. He returned to the egg whites and turned the mixer on. Soon, the whites were stiff and shiny, peaking when he lifted the whisk.

"Well?" he said to her, gesturing to the mixer. "Tell me how well I've done."

"What, I'm your quality checker now? If they're ready, get'm in here."

Tough love, that's how to make souffles.

Or something like that. Mostly Marinette had taken the time to make herself a cup of tea and was now comfortable on her chair.

Adrien shoots her a Look. "All right," he grumbled, and detached the bowl from the mixer. "How do I fold them into the base and lemons? Just a little at a time?"

He could shoot all the Looks he wanted; she was officially Look-proof. From him, anyway. "Fold it in by thirds, gently. You just spent a lot of time getting air into those egg whites. It'd be a shame to beat it all back out again.”

His Looks were weaker than watered-down coffee anyway, and he knew it.

The boy did as he was told, carefully folding the whipped whites into the lemon and béchamel. "How long do we cook this for?"

"About twenty, twenty-five minutes?" Marinette set a prepared souffle pan next to the bowl and retreated back to her seat and her tea. "The oven is a little wonky."

It’s not, but shhh. It's a convenient excuse.

"All right," Adrien said transferring the batter into a baking dish. "How hot?"

"One-ninety... here, I'll set it." She hopped off the chair to mess with the oven. "And then it's just a waiting game."

After the oven preheated, Adrien carefully set the baking dish on the rack, and shut the door. He pulled a pack of cards out of his pocket. "Ever played Old Maid?"

Twenty-four minutes and twelve lost matches later, he opened the oven door to take the souffle out to cool.

Marinette sat back on her chair, watching. "So, how does it look?"

"Like a souffle, I assume," Adrien deadpanned. She laughed. "Want to cut into it?"

Marinette rescued two forks from the silverware drawer and handed one to him.

Pointedly.

Cut into it, heck.

"Last one to the bottom is a rotten egg."

Adrien was good at sensing challenges when they're thrown in his face.

He snagged that fork and started digging into the souffle.

Marinette’s not too far behind him, but...

But.

One bite.

And something... something crunches in her teeth, loudly enough for Adrien to hear.

Souffle ain't supposed to crunch.

Adrien soon noticed that his souffle suffers from the same problem. "Marinette? Did the flour have sand in it? I'm detecting sand where there should not be sand."

"Yeah, it's... it's not sand." She winced. “I have 'enjoyed' this particular surprise before.”

"What is it?" Adrien said, furrowing his brow. He took another experimental bite.

Nope.

Still crunchy.

"Erm." Marinette didn’t want to tell him. From her guarded expression, Adrien could tell she kept hoping he'd figure it out, because she really didn’t want to be the one to tell him. "It really is a pretty souffle."

"It's something I did, isn't it?" Adrien said, biting his lip. "You made the base, and I--Oh. Well."

He set his fork aside, heat rising in his cheeks. "So, um. Next time you separate the eggs."

"Deal," Marinette said, abandoning her fork. "Croissants?"

"Croissants," Adrien agreed, and started cleaning up the mess.

[Sweet ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008)> [Lemon ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918998)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	20. Sweet > Grapefruit-Ginger

"You know, we should do something interesting," Marinette said, tapping her chin. "I've never done a sweet-and-spicy, so how about grapefruit-ginger? It's sweet, it's tart, you can pretend it's actually supposed to be for breakfast..." She scooped a ruby red out of the fruit bowl and held it aloft before setting it back down.

Adrien eased into a shy smile. "I like ginger. A lot. And grapefruits are okay. I've eaten plenty of those on my model diet," he said. "Let's go for it!"

He headed to the fridge and pulled out butter and milk, which he carried over to the oven. Retrieving a saucepan from the cabinet, he set the pan on the burner and turned on the heat. "How much butter do we need? And how much flour?"

"Three tablespoons butter, and three... drat, didn't get the flour out, hang on, I'll get it." Getting the flour requires a little bit of shelves-scaling when you're her height (somehow it _always_ ends up on the higher shelf). "Huh, I didn't know there were so many multiple types of flour here."

"Well, it makes sense," Adrien called over his shoulder from his place at the saucepan. "We are in a bakery. Just pick one."

**Options:**

[Have Marinette choose the white all-purpose flour](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919328)?

-or-

[Have Marinette choose the slightly off-white all-purpose flour?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919394)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	21. Sweet > Grapefruit-Ginger > Marinette Chooses the White, All-purpose Flour

Turns out the flour was always on a higher shelf because that's the _flour shelf_ ; Marinette was just too short to see it. Despite her shelf-perch, Adrien had to help her retrieve the package she’d picked out, as it was pushed to the back of the flour shelf.

"Anyway, three tablespoons of this," she said, huffing as Adrien walked back to the stove, "and three-fourths of a cup of milk, stirred until smooth."

Adrien nodded and unrolled the flour bag. He carefully spooned three tablespoons into the butter concoction, and then added the milk. "And we need seven egg whites, right?"

"Yeah, and the yolks go in your base. Hang on, I'll get some separated for you," Marinette said. "I've done this so many times I think I can do that part in my sleep. I probably have, actually." She snorts, pulling out the crate of eggs and a couple bowls.

Adrien concentrated on making his bechamel as smooth as it could possibly be while she separated eggs. "And after you separate them, you whip them, right? When do we add the grapefruit and ginger?"

"You whip the whites. And the yolks and the grapefruit and ginger should go directly into the base. Here, I'll take care of the whites, you squeeze grapefruits," Marinette ordered, cracking eggs neatly and quickly.

Adrien headed over to the fruit bowl, selecting some grapefruits. Finding a knife in a drawer, he sliced a fruit open carefully so he didn't get any juice in his eyes, happy to have the opportunity to carry out this task for Marinette. He picked up a juicer and started going to town.

"How much grapefruit juice do we need?" he said, glancing over his shoulder.

"A few tablespoons? Enough to make the flavor present." Marinette was so precise about her baking, yes.

Adrien gives her a playful side-eye. He was incredibly precise about his own baking, so to go with a pinch here and an unspecified-measurement-that-fits-in-the-fist there just drove him bonkers. He juiced more than enough grapefruit and then measured the liquid out into a bowl--four tablespoons exactly.

"Here," he said, carrying the bowl to her on ceremony. "Your grapefruit juice."

"Oh, thank you - and we'll need a bit less ginger than that," Marinette said, only to earn another side-eye from Adrien. "Look, you just do it until it... feels right. It's an art."

Of all the things Adrien knew about cooking, that it was an art was not one of them. It's a science, and it was with that precise and exacting nature that he chopped the ginger into fine, similarly-sized pieces. He measured three and a half tablespoons into a bowl and presented them to Marinette--after snacking on a couple pieces himself.

"Your ginger, my Lady," he said, with pomp.

He did not expect her to flinch. "M-My Lady?"

“Oh, uh,” Adrien said, kicking himself for calling Marinette by Ladybug’s nickname. But his classmate’s reaction was… odd. “Do you not like nicknames?”

Marinette shook her head quickly, taking the bowl of ginger chunks. “I’m… It’s just… my best friend calls me that, and I’m not used to anyone else saying so.”

“Alya calls you that?”

Marinette’s cheeks reddened. “No. My other best friend.”

Adrien pursed his lips. He’d thought that he was her other best friend. Floundering, he leaned against the counter. “Oh.”

“Thanks for chopping the ginger,” Marinette said, seemingly recovered, as she folded the ginger into the base. She followed that with the fluffy, beaten whites. "Do you have the souffle pan?"

"I don't, only because I have no idea what a souffle plan looks like," Adrien said, shrugging helplessly. Then he straightened from his lean and nudged her. "Please correct this oversight, Marinette. It's clearly your fault that my education in this matter is lacking."

"What, no extracurricular coursework done? I begin to doubt your commitment." She sniffed, digging through the storage shelves until she could find a proper souffle pan.

Adrien snorted. "I would have done the extra coursework if I'd known there was extra coursework to be done," the boy said, leaning on the counter again. "As such I'll have to lean on you to show me what a souffle pan looks like."

"And here we have the souffle pan in its natural habitat." Marinette showed off the pan, adopting a documentary voice. "See how it preens in hopes of being chosen to create a new souffle--very shiny, very... panesque."

"Panesque!" Adrien said, covering his mouth to prevent his giggles from being too loud. He snorted again for good measure. "You're ridiculous," he said fondly, warm feelings for her bubbling up in his chest. It was official: He loved that girl.

"Much better than being too serious,” Marinette said, preparing the pan and dumping the batter in. "Is the oven set?"

"No," Adrien said. He meandered over there, straightening his apron. "How high do I set it for?"

"One hundred and ninety degrees,” Marinette said, smoothing out the top of the souffle. "Nice and toasty."

 _Click._ Adrien set the oven, crossed back to her after plucking up the oven mitts. He toyed with them, but soon settled in to watch her technique. "Thank you for teaching me this."

"Everyone should know how to make souffles." After the souffle is safely in the oven and the timer set, Marinette dug around in the catch-all drawer and pulled out a pack of cards. "Wanna play Canasta?"

"You're going to have to teach me," Adrien said with a grin. "But yes, absolutely, let's play cards."

Between explaining all of the rules of Canasta and getting a game going, they only had time for a hand before the timer went off. Marinette practically vibrated in place, waiting to see if the souffle came out correctly.

It's a good thing her enthusiasm was infectious, because Adrien finds he's terrible at Canasta. His hand was a disaster, and he gladly gave it up to take the souffle out of the oven. It didn’t fall, and he shot a grin at Marinette. "Should we wait for this to cool or just dig in?"

Marinette held up two spoons, not even looking a little bit sheepish. “What?” she said, to his blank stare. “It smells awesome.”

Adrien laughed and took a spoon. He broke the top, and blew carefully before taking a bite. "Mmm," he said, closing his eyes. The citrus and ginger burst on his tongue, and the texture was unlike anything he's ever tasted before. The crispy crust contrasted with the soft interior. Sweet and tart and spicy all at once, the souffle tasted heavenly.

Truly a successful venture.

Marinette followed suit, taking a bite and humming happily. She hugged Adrien, her head on his shoulder while she fished out another bite.

The boy jumped, as he always did with sudden hugs, but eased into it. He embraced her back, reaching over her shoulder to spoon out a bite of spongy souffle.

He was fairly certain they’d eat it all in a sitting.

**Options:**

[Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008) > [Grapefruit-Ginger](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919250)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	22. Sweet > Grapefruit-Ginger > Marinette Chooses the Slightly Off-white, All-purpose Flour

"Cheeky,” Marinette called from her shelf perch, in response to Adrien telling her to just pick one of the flours. “We are trying something different here, right?” She grabbed a small package stored next to the nuts that sported a smiling boy giving a thumbs-up, and hopped down.

"Ah, good, you didn't get lost in there," Adrien teased. "Some of the shelves are kind of... tall." He stirred the fully-melted butter. "Three tablespoons of flour, you said?"

"Oh, shut up." She huffed at him, which does nothing to hide the grin. "Yeah, it's..." Marinette laughed as she opened the bag. "Oh, this is good stuff, I bet this will make the souffle awesome."

Adrien hummed tunelessly, pleased that his smug is acceptable. "Wow, I can smell that from here. Give it here, and I'll add it to the béchamel."

Marinette took another appreciative sniff before handing the bag over.

Adrien snickers at her--smelling flour! That's ridiculous--but quickly followed suit, tucking it against his chest and taking a huge sniff.

"Wow, this... This smells really good. We can just eat it, right? Marinette?" he said, reluctantly glancing up from the flour.

“Eat it? What are you talking about?”

“I… I dunno?” Adrien said, taking another whiff of the contents of the bag. Something odd was going on, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.

Ten minutes later, after he’d stirred three tablespoons of the off-white powder into the bechamel, he felt _wonderful._ Adrien smiled dreamily at Marinette, who positively glowed in the sunlight streaming through the windows.

“Did you know you’re really beautiful?” he said, and Marinette started.

“W-What?” she said, looking up at him from the eggs she was separating with wide eyes.

“Really, really, beautiful,” Adrien said, sighing. “I mean, you’re super attractive, Marinette. Body and soul. In fact, I’ve… I’ve loved you for a long time.”

Normally he’d be concerned with his lack of filter, but not now. Not through the haze of euphoria that clouded his mind. “Let’s run away together. Just you and me. We can buy a house in the country and have three kids and a hamster--”

“Adrien!” Marinette said, her voice strained and thready. She dropped the eggshells into the trashcan and marched over to the sink to wash her hands. “What’s come over you?”

Adrien giggled, holding his hands out helplessly. “I have absolutely no idea.”

“Turn off the heat.”

“I can’t,” Adrien said, throwing his head back and laughing. She was being so _silly_ , he couldn’t help laughing. “The burner doesn’t want to turn off.”

Marinette wiped her hands on her pink jeans and ran over to the stove. She shut the burner off with a click. “What the heck is going on?”

"Whoa. _Whoa._ " Adrien lifted his hand to stare at it. “My fingers are bright blue. And red, too.”

And then he cackled. “I feel great.”

“Blue?” Marinette said, but Adrien didn’t care if she was worried or not. Her voice sounded far away to his ears. He looked down at the floor, and saw several giant glasses of water. Lifting his foot, he tried stepping on one, and tripped. He giggled again.

“Adrien, this is scary.”

“I know, right?” Adrien said, and then dropped his voice to a whisper. “I think I’m hallucinating.”

“What was in that flour?” Marinette said, lifting the package to look it over. There were no words on the label that Adrien could see, but given that he was probably hallucinating, he didn’t know if he would be able to read properly at that point.

Adrien cocked his head. He thought he heard himself saying in stereo, “Marinette’s just a good friend.” He beamed at her. “You know? What I’m saying to me is right. You are a good friend. But I’m hoping for something more.”

“Mom!” Marinette called, bolting from the room.

“Boooo,” Adrien said, wiggling his blue and red fingers.

Sabine and Tom never explained to Marinette and Adrien why they had enough LSD in a bag on the flour shelf to start a war in Venezuela. Adrien never turned them in to the authorities, and their bakery remained a front for the French drug trade until Marinette left the house and had a crisis of conscience.

Adrien, meanwhile, still thought Marinette was beautiful. He never told her so again.

**Options:**

[Sweet ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59918008)> [Grapefruit-Ginger ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919250)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	23. Savory

"Wait, no, I mean... Never mind," Adrien said, shaking his head in response to Marinette’s dry statement about the old difference between the souffle choices being taste. He folded his arms.

“What do you think, Adrien?” Marinette said, tilting her head. “Sweet or savory?”

"Well, savory sounds good to me," the boy said, licking his lips. "What did we say before? Pumpkin or cheese, right?"

**Options:**

[Cheese?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919796)

-or-

[Pumpkin?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919514)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	24. Savory > Pumpkin

"Even though it seems all of the squashy things are falling out of favor - did you notice they were super popular for a while? Anyway, I still like it. I think we should do pumpkin," Marinette said, grinning. “There’s a can of pumpkin still in the larder.”

"Squash were super popular?" Adrien said, tilting his head. "I wonder why. And pumpkin is my favorite, so it's popular with me."

He headed to the fridge to pull out eggs, butter, and milk, and carried them to the table near the stove. "Would you like to handle the eggs while I make the bechamel?"

"Yeah, sure,” Marinette said, fishing out a couple of bowls and starting in on the job. “I should have them all separated by the time you're done.”

Adrien melted three tablespoons of butter. "Ah, I've forgotten the flour," he muttered to himself, and crossed to the pantry to pick up the bag. He opened the package and started carrying it over to the stove, approaching Marinette on his left.

**Options:**

[Adrien trips](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919559)?

-or-

[Adrien does not trip](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919613)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	25. Savory > Pumpkin > Adrien Trips

Marinette was an egg-breaking-and-separating machine. You try and make souffles for years - eventually, the technique is just there. She was tossing the eggshells into the trashcan across the way, sending them in batches of two and three.

It was like artistry.

It was like not paying attention to people wandering around looking for flour.

Unfortunately for Marinette, Adrien managed to trip over his own feet. Up went the flour bag, and he recovered just soon enough to see it sail across the air and land on her shoulder, completely upending itself to dump white powder everywhere. _POOF._

"Oh, Marinette! I'm sorry," he said, scrambling to his feet and hustling over to her. He dusted flour off of her shoulder like so much snow.

Marinette blinked at him, slowly. “There’s flour down my shirt. You know what that means.”

“No?”

Carefully, she picked up the bowl of egg yolks she'd already separated.

Equally carefully, she heaved them in his face.

And then she grinned.

Adrien coughed and sputtered, egg on his face and in his mouth and seeping down past his hair net to his neck. He stared at her, eyes wide. Then he burst into laughter. “Gross! Why on earth did you do that?”

So, naturally, the only thing he could do was respond in like manner: he scooped up some of the glop around his neck and covered her face in it.

"Because you don't have enough excitement witho--" That's about as far as Marinette got before he slung gloppy egg yolks back at her.

So she felt it was fair to retaliate with the milk. Does a body good.

Covered in eggs and soaked in milk, Adrien seemed like the beginnings of a recipe himself. The milk was cold, and dripped down his back and off his matted hair.

Laughing, Adrien snatched the egg whites in the mixing bowl and dumped them on her head.

Marinette shrieked, because OH, that's slimy, but that didn’t stop her from giggling all the same. Someone left sugar out on the table--clearly he just needed something to soak up all that liquid, right?

It's like snow.

Pretty, pretty snow.

Everywhere.

Adrien’s quickly becoming a raw pie. He yelped at the sugar crusting over him, raising an arm to try to shield his model face, to no avail.

Oh, look, someone left an open can of pumpkin. He reached his fingers into the can and tossed some orange slime at her. He had nearly dissolved into laughter at that point.

Marinette cackled, not even minding that there's pumpkin smeared through her hair.

Adrien folded his eggy arms, shaking his head at her. He grinned broadly. "We are ridiculous," the boy says cheerfully.

"If you haven't figured that out by now, I'm worried for you, truly I am, there's actual worry,” Marinette said, trying futilely to wipe egg-and-pumpkin mix out of her blue-black pigtails.

Adrien playfully smeared egg onto the crown of her head. "Don't worry, I'm well aware that we’re ridiculous. I didn't realize how much until today, but I live and learn.”

Marinette smirked. “This is your fault. After all, you started it."

"Me?" he said, fluttering his eyelashes. "Start something? I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

Marinette snorted. "I am well aware of your capacity to cause trouble, Adrien Agreste," she said, giving him a crooked smile and a raised brow. "And now we need to clean up the mess."

“We do,” Adrien said, shivering as milk dripped down his spine as he looked down at his soiled clothing. “We need showers. I should probably call the Gorilla, but… He’s going to hate having egg yolks in the back of the sedan. This might be a problem.”

Marinette bit her lip. “You can always take a shower here?”

“But my clothes are soaked…”

Marinette squeaked, flailing a little. “A really long shower! I can wash and dry your clothes!”

“A two-hour shower?” Adrien said, rubbing the back of his head, and grimacing as his hand came away wetter. “I couldn’t do that to your water heater. ”

And he couldn’t hang around freshly-showered and butt naked, waiting for her to wash his clothes either. The thought of being barebacked in Marinette’s house, even in the bathroom, made his chest tight and heat creep up from there to the roots of his milk-drenched hair. He groaned. “This is a disaster.”

“Um,” Marinette said, and from the furrow in her brow, he knew she was coming up with a plan. “You can’t wear my clothes. But what about my dad’s?”

“Oh, gosh,” Adrien said, wiping raw egg and sugar off his lips with the back of his wrist. “I’d probably swim in any shirt of your dad’s. It would look like a dress on me.”

Marinette glanced at him under her lashes. “You’d probably look good in a dress,” she said shyly. “You look good in anything you wear. You’re… um. Really, really attractive.”

“Oh,” Adrien said, lips quirking a bit. He knew he was attractive, but to have Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl he liked, say it, was _awesome_. “Uh. Thanks.”

“So, uh, I’ll clean up down here,” Marinette said, making a sweeping gesture across the kitchen, “and you go take the first shower?”

“Are you sure, Marinette?” Adrien said, blinking at her. “I don’t want to leave you to clean this up by yourself…”

“Trust me, I know my way around this kitchen. Cleaning up will be faster by myself,” she said, beaming at him. Then her expression faltered, and his heart jumped into his throat. What had he done wrong? “I’ll, um, bring up one of my dad’s shirts while you’re… under the spray.”

Adrien’s face burned so hot, he was sure he was caramelizing the milk-egg-sugar mixture. The thought of her being anywhere near his naked body--separated by a thin shower curtain--just blew any rational thoughts out of his brain.

“Okay!” he squeaked, before he could change his mind. “This sounds like a good plan. Yes. And I’ll, um…”

Adrien struck a bow, his hand over his heart. "I’ll go take a shower, and will, uh, see you soon… and we shall never speak of this again."

He whirled around, hearing her snicker behind him as he squelched out.

His embarrassment plagued him all the way up the stairs to the third floor as he left spots on the blue carpet. He shut the bathroom door behind him and leaned on it.

Free from Marinette’s gaze, he laughed himself silly.

He wished he’d gotten the food fight on tape. That kind of thing was definitely meant to be _shared._

**Options:**

[Savory ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919433)> [Pumpkin ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919514)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	26. Savory > Pumpkin > Adrien Does Not Trip

"'Behind', said the boy who didn't want to end up with a face full of eggshells." Marinette snickered, just managing to avoid tossing a handful of broken eggshells at the trashcan when Adrien wandered by.

"Whoops," Adrien said, flashing a cocky grin at her. "Next time I'll warn you.” He tossed her the two-fingered salute Chat typically gave reporters. She didn’t seem to see him perform the gesture, as she appeared focused on her task.

He carefully measured out three tablespoons of flour for the bechamel and added that to the saucepan. After stirring it all in, he poured in the milk. "You're doing a good job on those eggs."

"I am an egg-cracking boss," Marinette said, sliding over the bowl of egg yolks for him before going to hunt down the pumpkin and spices.

Adrien’s confused about the terminology. Did the eggs report to her? Did she pay them? Did they get sick days?

He realized he may be overthinking this and added the egg yolks to the bechamel. That's when he heard the sound of a metallic growling, and smelled a yeasty, bready scent.

"Marinette?" He blinked. "I think a machine over here is malfunctioning."

**Options:**

[Investigate the bread machine?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919697)

-or-

[Don't investigate the bread machine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919748)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/wcQvjyg) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	27. Savory > Pumpkin > Adrien Does Not Trip > They Investigate the Bread Machine

"Funny, I didn't turn anything else on... well, let's see what it is, if anything, my parents can come break it down if it’s one of their projects gone awry," Marinette said, depositing the found ingredients near the stovetop and heading over to investigate.

The growling grew louder, and Adrien turned off the stove. He moved the flour bag aside and revealed a machine, one red light blinking ominously. The yeasty smell increased, almost sickly sweet.

“What machine is this?” Adrien said, blinking at the strange contraption.

“That’s a bread maker,” Marinette said, wrinkling her nose.

“A bread maker? What?”

“It makes bread,” Marinette said, her eyes sparkling. “You dump the ingredients in--measuring exactly so it makes the right amount of bread--”

Adrien laughed. Marinette had never ‘measured exactly’ in all the time they’d been cooking together, whereas Adrien always insisted on leveling off the contents of his measuring cups with a knife.

It wasn’t a point of contention between them, but she insisted that cooking was an art, and he just couldn’t see it. Cooking was a science, he’d said, and she’d giggled at him, saying he’d come around eventually.

“Laugh it up,” she said, snickering as she swatted him lightly on the shoulder. “But yeah, the machine kneads the bread and bakes it for you.”

“Why is there a bread maker in the kitchen when your parents run a bakery downstairs?”

“My nonna got it for my parents back when they were first starting out,” Marinette said, washing her hands again. She dried them on the hand towel. “Nonna said it was haunted because she got it at a shady flea market.” She tilted her head. “I’ve never seen my parents use it before. Wonder why that changed?”

The bread maker made a clunking sound. Adrien glanced from the machine to Marinette. "Do... Do you think we should open it?"

"I think we better have. I mean, bread rises, right? You don't want it exploding out of there when the pressure gets high enough,” Marinette said, scrunching her nose, presumably at the smell. “That's one ruined baking project if I’ve ever seen one.”

Adrien wished he had his baton. As it was, he tapped the machine with a wooden spoon, and then poked at the button. The smell flooded the room as the top opened with hiss.

A toasted glop of dough bigger than his shoulders flopped out onto the counter, feeling its way across the tile surface with its tendrils.

"Oh, wow," Adrien said, blinking. "That's actually kind of cut--"

And then it attacked, lunging at him with a roar that belied its small stature.

Adrien had a well-trained reaction to this.

Well, no, he didn’t, but he had had a lot of time to think about what his well-trained reaction should be, and that at least stood him in good stead. He grabbed Marinette’s arm and hauled her back, because now was the time to be anywhere else but there. "RUN!"

Adrien jerked Marinette out of the way of the possessed baking project, and she staggered into a run. Adrenaline galvanized Adrien’s legs, and he bolted, trying to get away but at the same time trying to shield Marinette with his own body.

The bread dough used its tendrils to launch itself off the counter--but barely missed clinging to Adrien’s shoulders, scraping its tendrils down his back and sliding to the floor.

Cue screaming. Seriously, if something tendril-esque grabs you without your permission, scream like a banshee and run like heck. Adrien had figured this out in life.

Adrien stepped on the thing, stomping quickly--but not quickly enough to prevent the tentacles from wrapping around his ankle. He jerked his foot free and ran, following Marinette with a yelp, the bread-beast in hot pursuit.

**Options:**

[Savory](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919433) > [Pumpkin ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919514)> [Adrien Does Not Trip](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919613)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	28. Savory > Pumpkin > Adrien Does Not Trip > They Do Not Investigate the Bread Machine

"That is not a combination of words I find at all worth investigating in conjunction,” Marinette said, eyeing that corner of the kitchen warily. “In fact, only bad things can come from investigating things that can be explained in such a fashion. Besides, I didn't turn on anything over there, did you?”

"I didn't," Adrien said, and turned back to his bechamel, trying to ignore the loud growling and clanking gears from the machine. He stirred the sauce until it was smooth. "How are those egg whites coming?"

She handed over a bowl of whipped whites in answer, holding up her hand-mixer as the whisks slowly whir to a stop. "I'll go get us a pan, shall I?"

"Sounds good," Adrien said, letting some cheerfulness seep into his voice. After all, he was making a soufflé, and that was fun. "When do we add the pumpkin?"

"Ack, before the whites, before the whites!" Marinette said, fetching a can of pumpkin puree and the spices and handing them over, belatedly. "The whites are all delicate and full of air and temperamental as hell."

“Heh. Reminds me of someone at my house,” Adrien said, ducking his head.

Marinette gave him a raised brow, but didn't press, and he was grateful to her for that. Over the weeks of cooking, Adrien had allowed Marinette a glimpse into his life. She’d reacted with horror, which stunned him, and allowed the rose-colored glasses to slip.

He wouldn’t criticize his father outright, but he’d alluded to upsetting things that had happened in vague terms. Marinette had invited him into her home multiple times since he’d initially told her that he’d had to schedule dinners with his father. After Adrien had been showered by more affection than he’d known what to do with by the Dupain-Cheng family, his life in the Agreste manor had seemed stark by comparison.

Marinette cleared her throat, bringing Adrien back to the moment. “The pumpkin, Adrien?”

“Oh, right,” he said, and opened the pumpkin can with a can opener and scooped it out into the bechamel base. He stepped back to let Marinette add the spices. She dumped the aromatic powders into the bechamel willy-nilly, eyeballing the measurements and making him wince.

Marinette had teased Adrien mercilessly for adhering to strict measurements in cooking. That was an art, she’d said, but Adrien still wasn’t comfortable just abandoning his tablespoons. He breathes in the scent of the spices, indulging in the warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

"Ah, so, do we add the whites to the bechamel or the béchamel to the whites?" he said, gesturing to the bowl of whipped eggs.

"Whites to the bechamel, and carefully--mix them in too vigorously and you'll lose all of the fluffy."

Marinette was highly technical in her baking-talk.

Adrien stepped forward--he was supposed to be the one learning here, after all--and carefully added the whites to the bechamel. They glopped off his spatula into the pumpkin base.

"This smells delicious," he said, and glanced over to his friend. His very good friend, whom he had been slowly realizing that he loved. "How high do we set the oven?"

"One hundred and ninety degrees,” Marinette said, hopping up onto one of the non-messy countertops. "And then we wait. Hey, have you ever played 'Risk'?"

Adrien scooped the souffle batter into the buttered pan, leaning forward to smell the delicious spices again. He set the oven and the timer, and placed the souffle inside on the middle rack.

"'Risk'?" he said, shaking his head. "No, I've never played. I don't get up to risky business very often."

Marinette giggled. "Oh, we are so playing this game now, you're going to love it."

They were deep into a bitter drawn-out war over the Middle East when Marinette perked up, frowning. "Do you smell that?"

Adrien inhaled a breath through his nose, and his eyes widened. "Oh, no," he said, and hustled over to the oven to peer inside. "Fire!"

Marinette cursed under her breath and scooped up the fire extinguisher. She charged forward with the ease and familiarity of long-practice.

Once the oven and its contents were sprayed down with a heavy layer of foam (and then some more, just for good measure), Marinette frowns at Adrien. "... maybe my parents will give us a souffle."

"A pumpkin soufflé," Adrien said mournfully, shaking his head. "That's too bad. Nice work with the extinguisher."

**Options:**

[Savory](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919433) > [Pumpkin ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919514)> [Adrien Does Not Trip](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919613)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	29. Savory > Cheese

"Oh, not just any cheese - Parmesan cheese with cayenne pepper,” Marinette said, grinning. Then she ducked, her cheeks dusted with pink, and Adrien wondered why. "Spicy and just a bit salty--kinda like how I like my men."

“Oh, uh,” Adrien said, rubbing the back of his head, and then going to wash his hands again because he touched his hair. “You’re just teasing me, right?”

“Ahaha, yes, I’m teasing you,” she said, waving a hand. “I don’t really like my men like that.”

“How do you like them?” Hope curled behind his breastbone. Maybe… He could be the kind of boy she wanted.

Marinette squirmed. She brushed lint off the corner of her apron. “Soft and sweet,” she said, looking at him under her lashes. “Like you.”

Adrien’s jaw dropped. He dried his hands and crept over to her, taking one of hers in his own. “Like me?” he whispered. “You like me?”

Marinette extricated her hand from his gentle grip. “Ahaha, of course, we’re friends!”

Adrien’s heart sank. “Of course,” he said, and crossed to the fridge, digging the eggs and milk out for the bechamel. Carrying the carton and the gallon, he walked over to the stove and furrowed his brow once a certain odious scent struck him. "Hey, do you smell that?"

Marinette blinked, fetching bowls, a pan, and a pot out from the cupboards. "Smell what?" she said. Adrien thought that was a fair question; they were in a kitchen that many people used, there were a lot of smells.

**Options:**

[The smell is smelt.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919826)

-or-

[The smell is not smelt.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919850)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	30. Savory > Cheese > The Smell is Smelt

"The smell," Adrien said, frowning a little. "It's a weird smell--here, come over here. It's strong over here."

Marinette crossed over there and took a whiff. “Whoa. Um. Wow, no that's bad." Marinette quickly backed away from the source, pulling Adrien with her. "So we should find my parents, pronto."

"It's bad," Adrien said, willingly hauled away. "But what is it?" He glanced from her worried face to the stove, blinking.

"Gas, which heats the oven. They make it smell bad so you notice it and, y'know, not burn the place down,” Marinette explains. "I'm thinking no baking will be done today."

Adrien’s eyes widen. "Good plan. Maybe your parents will make us a souffle after they fix the problem," the boy said, and offered his arm to his friend to escort her out.

"Fantastic, and so much less exploded,” Marinette said, taking Adrien’s arm and abandoning the kitchen to its latest remodel.

**Options:**

[Savory ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919433)> [Cheese ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919796)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


	31. Savory > Cheese > The Smell is Not Smelt

"Well, if you don't smell it," Adrien said, shrugging. He rummaged around in the cabinets for a saucepan, and set it on the stove. The boy cut three tablespoons of butter for the pan, and then headed off to the pantry to find the flour. "Are you going to be working on the eggs?"

"Yeah, I'll separate those out,” Marinette said, hunting up some eggs to use. “I'm pretty quick at it by now."

Something inside the oven flickered, unevenly.

Adrien located the flour and carried it back to the stove. He set the white powder aside and carefully measured out three tablespoons for later, once he melted the butter. He turns the stovetop on.

_Click, click--_

_BOOM._

A massive fireball erupted from the spark of the heating element, igniting the leaking gas line. The fire engulfed the kitchen, swallowing Adrien and Marinette whole in its heat.

**Options:**

[Savory ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919433)> [Cheese ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59919796)

-or-

[Start](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778927/chapters/59917942)?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you interested in reading or writing fanfiction? Are you looking for a community of like-minded and supportive people? Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Discord server! 
> 
> We are always welcoming new members, and would love to see you. We offer a variety of conversations, from fic discussions to writing support to fanfiction prompts. We even have server-wide events and group writing projects! 
> 
> Come join today!


End file.
